Dinner Conversations
by Iheartbd's
Summary: Several days after the war, the Blofis/Jackson family is finally coming together for a normal meal- or as normal as a meal can be when your step-son is a demigod.
1. Percy

**So The competition that I'm doing (for details see Annabeth's Side chapter 5) inspired me to write a Paul Percy myself. We'll see how it goes ;)**

August 25

Silence. Perhaps the occasional sound of someone chewing, but not a single word.

"So…. Percy…" Paul trailed off, trying to start a conversation. It was the first night they had had as a family since the war had ended, and although Paul knew about Percy's strange lifestyle, he hadn't truly believed in it until a few days ago. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the boy now that he knew just how powerful he was. He didn't want to begin a conversation, but he knew he had to do it for Sally's sake. "So… Um… What's going on at camp?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Percy looked up, seeming just as awkward as Paul. "Well, it's been kind of hectic, actually. We've had demigods flooding in from everywhere, we're trying to build cabins and deal with traitor half-bloods. Annabeth is working on Olympus, I'm spending all of my time training newbies, and we have absolutely no idea where Nico is." Paul nodded, relaxed. So far, this conversation wasn't that bad. If you took it out of context and ignored the half-bloods and Olympus part, you could almost see it as a simple chat about a summer camp.

"Yeah… Unfortunately, we're having issues with this huge metal dragon that keeps terrorizing camp, setting tree nymphs on fire. We had a close call with Juniper, Grover's girlfriend. Not to mention that Nico's fancy fire on his cabin almost burned it all down… Would have, too, if it weren't made completely out of obsidian. I almost got stabbed in the foot yesterday since some idiot newbie dropped their sword in training and I was only protected by my curse," he said, shaking his head. "Not to mention the Drakon that keeps patrolling the outside of camp. It can't come in because of the barriers, but it is there, and it's making it difficult to let satyrs come and go with new demigods." He laughed, smiling. "Clarisse has got her work cut out for her. It seems she's in the bathroom dunking some poor kids head in a toilet every second of the day…" Percy stopped so he could continue eating. The awkward silence ruled again.

"Well that's… interesting. You said you're building new cabins?" Paul asked, twirling his food around his fork.

"Yep," Percy replied. "It's for all of the minor gods. Their being left out is what started this war in the first place. That was my wish instead of immortality; that the major gods would honor the minor ones, and their children."

Paul stared. "Instead of… what?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, "I don't think I ever did mention that to you, not that I would have any reason to. The gods granted me one wish, the obvious choice asking for godhood, but I declined." He continued eating as if this was perfectly normal.

Paul almost choked. "My step son… offered immortality?"

"Yeah," Percy said, "what's so weird about that?"

"Do you deal with this every day?" Paul asked Sally cautiously. She just grinned. "Well then."

Silence.

"The Giants are playing well, aren't they?"

**So, I know Paul really liked the whole myth thing, but think about it, the first conversation is going to be a bit hard to work with. It was harder to write at least 500 words with this idea than I thought, most of my chapters I get over 1000 easily…**


	2. Rachel

**Yeah, so this was going to be a one-shot, but I decided to add a few more scenes… I'm going to leave it down as complete since I don't know when it will be. And enter in my Percy/Paul contest! Rules and details are in Annabeth's Side chapter 5. Go ahead and read that story while you're at it too!**

Rachel stood in the kitchen, not sure what to do.

"Mrs. Blofis, are you sure? I mean I'm sure I could do something… maybe get some drinks out?"

"Absolutely not, you just go into the family room and make yourself at home. And please, call me Sally."

"Well thank you… Sally… but-"

"No, I've got everything under control. Just make sure Percy doesn't eat all the cookies, will you? He needs to save some for the rest of us." Sally winked at Rachel, pushing her out. Rachel sighed, defeated. She had been trying to get Sally to allow her to help with the cooking, but it was a hopeless fight. Not that she would be of much help- she had never cooked anything in her life, deciding to stick with cereal, quesadillas and toast.

Rachel made her way into the living room, sitting down on the nearest seat. Percy and Paul were sitting across from her, pigging out on milk and cookies. She smiled politely at Paul, who she'd seen around school but didn't actually have as a teacher.

"So, Rachel," Paul said, "I hear you're a friend of Percy's. How did you two meet?"

"He tried to slice my face off," she said, mock glaring at Percy who held up his hands in defeat.

"I told you Rachel, I was being chased by skeleton warriors, and you scared me. I'm sorry!"

"Excuses excuses," she said, playfully hitting him on the shoulder.

"Ah," Paul said, looking a little green, "you're one of _those _friends." He looked like he was going to change the subject, but the curious side of him took charge. "Who's your… um… godly parent?" he asked, still not used to the question.

"Oh, I'm 100% mortal, unfortunately," she replied glumly.

Paul frowned. "But then how-" He was cut off from Sally calling in the kitchen.

"Just a few more minutes!" she said as a buzzer rang.

Paul shook his head, deciding to ask her later. "So, Rachel, you were in the kitchen. What's for dinner?"

Rachel's eyes turned bright green, and it seemed as if more than one of her was talking.

"_A meal fit for a king,_

_Wonderful delicacies it shall bring_

_The main course, a turkey big,_

_Do not forget the side of pig."_

Percy sprayed milk everywhere, laughing uproariously. Rachel shook her head as if trying to clear out water and then frowned.

"Did I really just do that?" she asked Percy who nodded, still unable to speak. Rachel groaned.

"It was the stupidest prophecy I have ever heard!" Percy managed to get out amid chuckles.

Paul was still sitting there, frozen. It was the most bizarre thing he had ever seen. One moment she was sitting there fine and the next she was spouting green smoke! "That… what… I don't…" Paul started, but he was unable to get a sentence out.

"Sorry about that," Rachel said, turning to him. "As I was saying, I am mortal. I'm just also the Oracle of Delphi." She smiled, apologetically.

Paul was saved from having to answer when Sally came in carrying a large dish of food. She took one look around, from Percy's uncontrollable giggles, Rachel's embarrassed smile and Paul's pale and frightened expression. "What did I miss?"

**So the prophecy was awful, I know. They're hard to write. Anyway, review!**


	3. Chiron

**Hey! So, here's the next chapter! I wouldn't have updated again for a bit but you guys were so awesome and reviewed so much I decided to update again earlier. So, here it is!**

**Oh, and I have a competition going on. The basic rules are you have to write a Percy/Paul one-shot of at least 500 words by 8/27/12. For full details see Annabeth's Side chapter 5. Happy writing!**

"_Percy?" Paul asked from the dining room table. "I'd really like to meet him."_

_Percy stopped suddenly, frozen halfway down the hall. "Paul, I'm not sure that's such a good idea…" He set down the laundry hamper he was carrying to his room, ready for an argument. This had come up several times in the past few days._

_Paul took in a deep breath. "Look, wouldn't it be so cool to meet him? I mean, he taught you, right?" Percy just stared at him._

"_Well, yeah, but-"_

"_And it would be okay because I know now, right?"_

"_I know, but-"_

"_Well then, why can't I?" Paul asked, pouting like a little kid. Percy rolled his eyes._

"_Why can't you do what?" Sally asked, having heard most of their argument. Percy looked up at his mom in relief._

"_Mom, he wants to meet Chiron." He glanced at her imploringly almost as if saying, 'please talk sense into him mom.'_

_Sally's smile turned mischievous. "What a wonderful idea! We can have him over for dinner!" Percy's expression turned incredulous. "Go and IM him right now, see if he can come tonight."_

_Percy shook his head, muttering something under his breath. He turned to leave but before he could, he turned around to face Paul and said, "He isn't what you're expecting."_

_Paul stood there for a moment, trying to puzzle out what he had meant. Finally, he decided to just drop it. He would never understand anything Percy said._

So that was why Paul was fidgeting beside Sally, waiting as Percy escorted his teacher inside. They could hear him talking in the hallway quietly.

"I'm sorry, Chiron, Sir, I just couldn't get him to drop it…"

"Nonsense, my boy, it is no hassle."

"Yes, but still…"

"It's the least I could do for you. I owed you a favor."

Paul started to breath quickened in anticipation. Percy and Chiron turned the corner- and Paul almost let out a disappointed sigh.

He wasn't quite sure what he expected. Maybe a tall, handsome man in his late 20's dressed in battle armor and wielding a sword. But Chiron met none of these anticipations.

Instead, he was faced with a middle aged man with a mane of wild, dark hair, eyes as ancient as the beginning of time… in a wheel chair. Not what Paul was expecting.

Paul tried not to let his disappointment show, but he must not have done a very good job as Chiron gazed at him with amusement in his eyes, almost as if he knew what Paul was thinking. With eyes like that, maybe he did.

The dinner started out quite normally. Chiron, ever the gentleman, made small talk with Paul and Percy. It was obvious in Percy's tone of voice that he looked up to Chiron, though, in his heart of hearts, Paul was sad to say he wasn't exactly sure why. Chiron was a nice man, but to be looked at with adoration of that level was ridiculous! He was in a wheel chair!

Of course, Paul would never voice these things aloud. An adult would never say such a thing, and he knew he was being unfair, but the child in him had wanted to meet a warrior, not someone who had already been through their midlife crisis.

Chiron had been sneaking little smiles at Paul throughout the meal, again as if he could read his mind. Finally, about halfway through his meal, he put down his napkin.

"Sally, do you mind? I've been getting a bit cramped, sitting here this whole time…" His eyes were twinkling, as if he had just shared a joke, but Paul had no idea what was going on.

Sally shook her head immediately. "No, no of course I don't mind. It would be awful to stay shut up for hours like that."

Chiron seemed to stand up, almost, in one fluid motion. Paul's first reaction was to be scared; if Chiron needed a wheel chair, he definitely shouldn't be standing up, but stand up he did. He also seemed to elongate- no, he was elongating, and then, finally, he was standing up straight. On four legs. Because where his lower body should have been, there was the body of a horse.

"Oh," Paul managed to get out.

No, defiantly not what he was expecting.

**Thank you! I don't know, was it as good as the last one? Tell me in a review! Also, what characters do you want Paul to meet next? Do you want me to continue? Review!**


	4. Nico

**Oh my gods, I didn't think this story would get so much attention! Thank you thank you thank you! So, I'm not planning on making it many more chapters. Maybe another 3 or 4 if you guys review enough…**

Paul had gotten very accustomed to strange conversations and people. It seemed to him that Percy was a magnet for bizarre occurrences, and to be in their family, he was going to have to get used to it.

But he still wasn't expecting it when a teenage kid fell through the roof.

For a Blofis-Jackson conversation, that night's had been fairly normal. Or maybe Paul was just used to it; a thought that scared him to death. Mainly, it had just been about schoolwork ('Why does my brain have to be wired for Ancient Greek?) and friends ('Yeah, Grover is off trying to get more nature spirits to protect the wild'). However, all conversation, normal or otherwise, stopped when a figure fell through the roof and landed on the floor with an over exaggerated "Ouch!"

The figure picked itself up from the floor, dusting off its clothing. It looked up and Paul could tell it was a boy of maybe 13 with dark black hair and eyes and pale skin, almost as if he had never been in daylight. He was wearing all black (what were they calling it now, Goth?) and seemed to have a sword strapped on his waste. The boy grinned, the kind that made teachers cringe, and turned to Percy.

"Hey, long time no see," he said, giving Percy a quick hug. Percy smiled as well.

"So, what's up? Do you need a place to crash?" Percy asked, looking the boy up and down.

He grimaced, nodding. "If you don't mind. Dad's in one of his… moods. And Persephone isn't exactly peachy right now, either." Percy nodded sympathetically. _Persephone, _Paul thought, _how do I know that name?_

Sally, who had been moving around the table the whole time, took the boy in her arms. "You can stay as long as you want, you know that," she said, fussing with his aviator jacket.

He grinned again. "Thanks Mrs. B. It's nice to know." He grabbed a roll off of the table and bit in to it.

Percy seemed to realize Paul had no idea what was going on at that moment. "Oh, um, this is my stepdad, Paul," he told the boy. He looked over, noticing Paul for the first time.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Nico Di Angelo, King of Ghosts and son of Hades." Nico grimaced at the last part, and Paul could remember he had said something earlier about his father being in a 'mood'. And then- King of Ghosts? This kid was certainly more than what met the eye.

Percy and Sally were holding their breaths, trying to figure out how Paul would take this news. Paul sucked in a breath of his own and stuck his hand out. Nico grasped it slowly, smiling all of the while. "Nice to meet you, Nico."

Nico and Percy went off, probably to Percy's room and Paul and Sally resumed eating.

It wasn't the nice, family dinner Paul had expected, but the smile Sally had given him when he shook Nico's hand was well worth it.

Maybe Percy's friends weren't so bad after all.

**That one was a bit short… Oh, and I have a poll on my profile about cheese… Anyway, would you rather see Poseidon, Annabeth or Thalia next?**


	5. Thalia

**Sorry sorry sorry! I haven't written nearly enough as I should have… So, here's Thalia! Oh, and to clear something up, when I ask if you want Paul to meet Poseidon, I mean now that he knows who Poseidon is… You know? Ok.**

In hindsight, Paul shouldn't have expected a normal dinner in the Jackson-Blofis household. However, he wished that for once, they could go through a meal without destroying everything in the room. Was that really too much to ask? Apparently so.

_Several hours earlier_

"Percy! Percy, go answer the door!" Sally called from the kitchen, balancing two trays of her famous cookies. Paul heard the door open and close, footsteps echoing in the hall. Soon, two teenagers appeared, his stepson, Percy, and another who must be the Thalia he had heard about.

"Hi, you must be Thalia," he said, "it's nice to meet you." He held out his hand which the girl took, grinning. He swore he could feel electricity coursing through her gently.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "Actually, it's nice that the Hunters are staying in the same place for once, but you know what I mean." Percy shook his head lightly, whacking her on the arm. Paul wasn't sure what to make of this, but he was saved by Sally calling to them from the kitchen.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of small talk, they all started in on the meal. Paul noticed that Percy wasn't eating much and had loaded his plate with mashed potatoes, one of the sides. He looked at him questioningly.

Percy, catching the look, smiled slightly. "Look," he said, waving his fork, "it's all fish."

Paul frowned. "But why…" Percy cut him off.

"I have a rule; no eating what I can talk to. It makes you sick when you know what your food is thinking." Paul nodded, but not before seeing a somewhat crazed glint in his friend, Thalia's eyes. She loaded a pile of fish on her fork before waggling it in Percy's face mockingly.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…" Percy, noticing this, pushed the fork away from him forcefully… and straight into Thalia's eye. He paled, apologizing profusely, but it was too late. Thalia seemed to start crackling with energy, sparks popping off her in random intervals. She shoved Percy away forcefully with a loud crack, sending him flying backwards against the wall. He got up, glaring at her murderously.

"Oh, you did it this time," he said, causing all the water from the pitcher on the table to rise up and into the air. Even though Paul had seen Percy do this many times, it still unnerved him. The water splashed down on Thalia's head, dousing her completely.

Sally stood up, trying to push them away from each other, but it was no use. Finally, defeated, she retreated back to where Paul was sitting. "You may want to move," she said, "this could get ugly." Paul listened to her, going all the way back to the living room.

The fight had escalated quickly. Both now had their swords out and were engaged in a heated duel. Percy seemed like a better swordsman, but every time he went to disarm Thalia, electricity would arc out at him and blast him back a couple of feet.

The kitchen was almost completely destroyed. The sink faucet had burst, there was water all over the floor, and the walls were completely charred. Most of the furniture had been hacked apart and was now only good for firewood.

"You're such a pig-headed idiot!" Percy yelled, a wave of water forming in front of him and crashing down on Thalia.

"Look who's talking! Mr. I'll-Go-Take-On-A-Manticore-By-Myself-And-Almost-Get-My-Girlfriend-Killed!" The fighting stopped suddenly, their swords locked and their faces only inches apart. Now it was Thalia paling. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't really mean that…"

Percy was livid. He pulled his sword away from Thalia's and started attacking again, this time with even more ferocity. It was obvious who was winning this time; Thalia wasn't even trying to attack, only blocking his strikes. Soon, he had her pinned up against the wall. He thrust down on her sword as hard as he could, sending it spinning to the floor. His sword was sitting across Thalia's throat as hard as it could without drawing blood.

Paul, scared for Thalia's life, started to rush forward and help, only to be held back by a smiling Sally. She shook her head, motioning to the teens, and Paul realized that Percy wasn't taking the fatal strike.

"Don't you ever," he said menacingly, "ever say that to me again. Ever." Thalia nodded vigorously, swallowing hard, but then paused.

"It was your fault, you know," she said, "if you hadn't poked me in the eye I wouldn't have had to insult you."

Percy gawked. "Me? You're blaming this on me? I wouldn't have poked you in the eye had you not waggled your fish at my face!" They both stopped for a moment, and suddenly started laughing. Percy lowered his sword and Thalia collapsed to the ground, massaging her neck.

Percy helped her up, and then turned around, freezing. Paul whirled, wondering what would have caused this when he saw Sally standing in the kitchen, her hands on her hips.

"Do you really think you're getting off with this?"

**Ehh… I don't know. Review? Oh, and Annabeth or Poseidon next?**


	6. Annabeth

**Hey guyzz! So, Annabeth won by… ONE VOTE! And, your favorite cheese is… Cheddar and Cheddar Jack with 21% each! Now, vote for what tree you would be! (kinda…) And, yes, this isn't really a dinner conversation, but… Oh well. Also, I have decided to run my contest, which ended a LONG time ago, slightly differently. Thank you to the people who entered, **

**Meeting Paul Blofis by Euterpe'sDaughter13 **

**Welcome to the Family, Paul by Sadie Breezy**

**Go check their Paul stories out! And, both of them can claim a oneshot about absolutely anything whenever they want, if they want. Also, go check out Acceptance by ofsaltandsea, another great Paul fic!**

Paul fumbled with his keys tiredly, trying to find the one that went to the small apartment. In his fatigued state, he managed to drop them on the ground, hit his head on the door handle, and crush his toe under the door before finally getting access to the apartment.

Needless to say, he was a bit annoyed.

He dumped his laptop case onto the counter unceremoniously and kicked off his boots, ready to take a long nap after his tiring day at work. He would be the only one in the apartment as Sally was still at work and Percy- well, Percy was doing whatever a teenaged demigod did in their free time. He was probably at the beach. Or off on a quest battling demons from the depths of Tartarus to save the world for the umpteenth time.

Whatever.

Paul frowned at that last thought; he really shouldn't be so nonchalant about all of… that. But what could he say; he was annoyed, tired, and cranky. Perhaps it was time to retire? He sighed and put his hands on his head before making the trek to the living room so he could collapse on the couch and sleep the day off. Maybe next year's crop of kids would be better. Maybe someday, teens would actually care about their education. Maybe-

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF-" Paul jumped back, almost hitting his head on the low ceilings. If he had been tired before, he certainly wasn't now. His blood was singing in his ears, adrenaline entering his veins. He was _sure _something had been on that couch just a second ago. Slowly he crept over, every sense alert and on edge.

For some reason, he could hear muffled banging and cursing coming from the other side of the couch. A shadowy figure slinked around the sofa, something metallic in their hand. Paul couldn't see the figure's features clearly, as they were obscured by shadows. The figure looked around before it's gaze finally settled on Paul.

"Oh, it's you," It said, before finally straightening up. The figure's hair moved from it's face, revealing sea green eyes and a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, I just thought you were a monster," he said. "Hey Annabeth? Where are you, anyway?"

Just as Paul's heart started to slow down, a teenage girl appeared in front of him, scaring him yet again. This time his head did hit the ceiling which caused the girl to look at him in sympathy.

Percy stepped forward, running a hand through his hair. "Paul, this is Annabeth, my, ah… girlfriend." He blushed, and coughed nervously. "She just came over to watch a movie, and we fell asleep. You're coming in the apartment woke us up, and we just assumed… well."

The girl, Annabeth, stepped forward. "Pleased to meet you," she said, smiling. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you." She offered no further explanation of her seemingly magic appearance, and Paul wasn't asking. Her long, flowing hair was a beautiful golden color, and her gray eyes seemed to pierce him. She was much less embarrassed than Percy was, who was now looking down at his feet, cheeks flaming.

Paul raised his eyebrows. "You two in the apartment, alone?" he said. "Would Sally approve?"

Percy's face was priceless. "I… we didn't… No!" he said, blushing an even brighter red. Paul smiled.

"Whatever you do, just get off the couch. I need to take a nap."

"I… uh, I mean, yeah, we were just leaving, weren't we Annabeth? Uhh, aren't we going out for coffee or something?" He put an arm around Annabeth's shoulder and quickly hurried out of the apartment, slamming the door.

Paul sighed, shaking his head. He collapsed on the couch and closed his eyes. He'd had enough demigod business for the day.

**Not my best. I just had a vision of Paul watching Percy sneak around from behind the couch with Riptide in his hand… Anyway. Poseidon next! Review!**


	7. Poseidon

**Hey! Yeah, sorry about that... I realized, it's been what, 3 months? Anyway, here's the official last chapter of Dinner Conversations! I want to thank all of you for being such awesome, supportive fans. I had no idea this would attract so much attention! And, to thank you for being so extra supportive, here's a really long one for you! I think I might post some more Paul/Percy fics, but under a different title and only after I finish my remaining fics.**

Paul needed a vacation.

The past months had been hectic for him; he had been thrown into a world of gods and monsters in the middle of a war, changing everything he had ever believed, almost killed several times during said war, and been introduced to some of the strangest people he had ever met, testing his sanity and patience for the abnormal.

So yeah, he was tired.

The clean up effort after the war had been long and difficult. From what he had been told, Paul knew that Olympus had almost been destroyed, and the mortal part of New York hadn't fared any better. But the city had banded together, and the massive damage caused by a 'freak gas leak' had been fixed. The remaining monsters that had fled when Kronos was destroyed were also rounded up and killed by a dedicated task force of demigods, and were no longer terrorizing the city.

Percy, of course, was determined to be a part of that task force, with or without Sally's approval. She didn't want him to leave so soon after she had gotten him back, but he had guilt tripped her, saying that he had to go, as he was invincible and wasn't in danger of being killed.

So that was why, for the past two months, Percy had been off gallivanting around New York with his new girlfriend Annabeth instead of starting school like he should have. But now things had settled down, and Percy was back to living in the apartment full time.

He had come back just two days ago, after not stopping by or Iris Messaging for almost a full month, to a very angry Sally.

Percy had known what was coming, and he knew he should have called in earlier, but he was still surprised that instead of chastising him for not coming home earlier, the first words out of his mother's mouth were an angry-

"_Perseus Jackson!_ Do you know what day it is? October 20th! It's been two months, _and we haven't celebrated your birthday yet!_"

It took him a while to reassure her that she wasn't a horrible mother, and he was soon coerced into having a birthday party 'as soon as demigodly possible'. Sally had tried to persuade him to invite the whole camp, but he would hear nothing of it. Instead, he limited it to Tyson, Annabeth, and Grover, another friend of his. Paul hadn't met Grover before, but Percy had told him that 'even though Grover is a satyr, you'll be okay as long as you don't insult enchiladas'.

That, somehow, didn't reassure him.

So that was why now, even though the rest of the world had started to settle back down into normalcy, the Jackson/Blofis household was in a complete wreck.

Grover and Tyson were in the living room, already playing a game of Monopoly, though Percy hadn't arrived from picking up Annabeth at the airport. Sally was rushing around, straightening things in the house that were already straight, finishing frosting the cake, and fixing her hair and clothing. She seemed frantic, trying to make up for having her son's birthday a full two months late. Paul caught her as she was rushing past, and enfolded her into a hug.

"Everything is great," he whispered, "Percy will love it. And did I tell you that you look beautiful right now?"

Sally blushed and turned into him, returning the embrace. He lifted his face to hers untill they were only inches apart, when he was suddenly interrupted by the telltale sound of a doorbell ringing.

"That must be Percy," Sally sighed, rushing to go answer the door. Percy and Annabeth were both greeted in turn, and quickly became involved in cheerful banter with Grover and Tyson.

The party was winding down, and everyone was enjoying their second slice of blue cake, when the doorbell rang for a second time. Percy started, and then got up quickly with a knowing look on his face.

"Hello dad," he said, letting his father in. Paul looked up, and then suddenly became aware of exactly who he was looking at.

"Percy," Poseidon greeted. "I did tell you we would be celebrating you 16th together soon."

"I didn't know you actually ment it," Percy muttered, blushing, but Poseidon ignored him, moving on to the other occupants in the room.

"Sally, beautiful as always," he said. "And you must be Paul. I believe we have met." Poseidon reached out a hand, and Paul shook it numbly. This was the Lord of the Seas! _The Lord of the Seas! _What was he supposed to say? What if he said the wrong thing? The gods of the myths were fickle beings, often changing their minds, and were quick to make judgments and deliver punishment as they saw fit. He didn't know what to say, so he said the first thing that came to mind-

"You really are ancient history, aren't you?"

As soon as Paul said it, he wanted to pull the comment back into his mouth. You weren't supposed to make references to a women's age, so what about a gods? But to Paul's relief, Poseidon just chuckled and agreed with him, and soon moved back to Percy.

"I have a gift for you," he said, dropping a small item into Percy's hands. Car keys. Percy looked up in amazement, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Is this- are these really..." he tried to get out. Poseidon chuckled and nodded.

"I'd tell you to try not to wreck it, but knowing you, it won't last a week. It's parked out front, when you want to try it out." Percy blushed, and then nodded.

"I... thank you, dad," he said awkwardly. "This is... really nice."

Paul couldn't believe it. Percy had seen his dad less than 10 times in his life, and the said father gives him a car on his 16th? Paul supposed that the gods didn't have to worry about car payments or rent or food, but still...

Poseidon's face seemed to dim for a moment. "I just wanted to see you again before... Well, things are stirring. I fear that this is not the end of our troubling times, and with Zeus's interference..." he trailed off. "Happy birthday, son. I hope to see you again soon," he said, and then, as suddenly as he had come, he disappeared.

Finally, the last guest had left, and the apartment's occupants were getting ready to go to sleep. Paul approached Percy apprehensively, handing him the hastily wrapped gift, he cheeks red.

"I don't know if you'll like it," he rambled, the words tripping over his tounge in their rush to get out, "and especially not after you got your car, but it was all I could think of, and if you don't like it Sally and I could use it and I'll get you something else-" Paul cut off as he saw the look on Percy's face.

Paul had gotten him a gift certificate for a free meal for two at one of New York's fancy restaurants, presumably for Percy and Annabeth to share. Percy's eyes shone, and all doubt Paul had about his gift drifted away.

"It's great Paul, nobody has ever gotten me anything like this before," he said, smiling. He hesitated for a moment before awkwardly wrapping his arms around Paul, just for a moment.

And Paul somehow didn't care that it was awkward, because there was just one thing going through his mind, almost gloatingly, because he knew Percy didn't mean it that way, but still-

_He didn't give his father a hug._

**And so that concludes this story! Thank you for all the people who stuck around the whole time! And even thought this is the last chapter, don't be afraid to review anyway... I know this didn't focus on Paul meeting Poseidon as much as the others, but it was more meant as Paul/Percy bonding fluff. So, since this is done, maybe you want to check out my previous work? Or you could favorite me as an author so you can see my future writing as well, and maybe see another possible Percy/Paul fic that I will release in the near future? **

**Whatever you do, thanks. Because without all this support motivating me, it would have stayed as a little one-shot ficlet that never progressed into something like this. So really, I can't thank you enough for your support! I really really appreciate it!**

**Iheartbd's, signing off.**


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